


Labels

by kathkin



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, Magic Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-06
Packaged: 2017-12-17 22:18:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/872576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathkin/pseuds/kathkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur liked to have people sorted out and labeled in his head. He didn't like them to surprise him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Labels

What happened wasn’t Merlin’s fault. But neither was it really Arthur’s.

It wasn’t Arthur’s fault, for example, that he’d slept so badly and was in such a terrible mood. It wasn’t Merlin’s fault that Gwen had arrived outside his room in tears because a woman she knew had just been arrested for sorcery, while he’d been reading his magic book.

He’d left in so much of a hurry that he hadn’t put it away. It was lying open on his bed. And that wasn’t his fault.

Nor was it his fault that this made him late for work. Which made Arthur’s bad mood even worse.

And neither of them could be blamed for Gaius having left early to tend to a patient who’d suddenly got worse in the night.  
Therefore it wasn’t anyone’s fault that, when Arthur came looking for Merlin, in a terrible mood, he found only a empty room.

“Merlin!” he shouted, and, getting no response, he marched across the aforementioned empty room, and up the steps to Merlin’s bedroom. That was also empty.

He was about to turn and leave when he noticed the book lying on the bed. He mostly just picked it up out of curiosity. And so that he’d know what Merlin had been reading, which meant that later he could demand that Merlin explain how, exactly, it was more important than serving him. But the book wasn’t at all what he’d expected (not that he really knew what he’d expected).

Half of it was incomprehensible, just strange symbols. The other half was readable, but in a language he didn’t recognise. He read a few words aloud softly, and felt the air around him shift in response. They sounded familiar. He’d heard words like that before.He stood for a moment, his anger forgotten, trying to remember where.

He thought back to being in a cave, with a cloaked woman who’d used words like that to attack him. It took him a moment to make the connection.

But then he dropped the book, and ran out of the room, his anger returning and increasing. He had to find Merlin.

*

He met him in a corridor near his own room (probably belatedly making his way there). “I’m sorry I was late,” said Merlin. “I-”

He broke off, then. This was probably Arthur had grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him against the nearest wall.

“You’ve been lying to me,” he said.

“What?” said Merlin.

“You’ve been lying to me since we met,” said Arthur.

And Merlin knew exactly what he was talking about. Arthur could see comprehension dawning across his face. But then he lied again.

“Sire, I don’t know what you mean,” he said.

“Are you a sorcerer?” said Arthur. Merlin didn’t answer. “Well?” He slammed Merlin against the wall again. “Answer me!”  
“No,” Merlin gabbled. “No, of course not. I-”

“You’re a liar,” said Arthur. “You’re a lying, cheating, deceiving little _worm_ , aren’t you?”

Merlin shook his head frantically. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

“I found that book in your room,” said Arthur.

“Oh, God,” said Merlin. “Arthur, I swear it’s not what it looks like-”

“So you’re not a sorcerer?” said Arthur. “You just happen to have a book of spells, do you?” Merlin nodded frantically. “And you haven’t been _lying to me_ -” he slammed him against the wall again. “Since we met?” Merlin shook his head again. “And you’re not _lying to me again right now?”_ Merlin didn’t respond. There would have been no point. “You really are an idiot,” said Arthur. “Did you think I wouldn’t-”

Arthur broke off. Because His father had just turned a corner, and was now standing a few feet away, staring at him.

“ _What_ is going on?” he said.

Arthur stared at him. He suddenly found he had no idea what to say. ‘I just found out that my manservant is a sorcerer. Take him away and cut his head off’. That would work. But that wasn’t what came out.

“Merlin’s just been late for work,” he said. “ _Again_.” He released Merlin and stood back. “Haven’t you, Merlin?”

Merlin nodded. It was completely true, after all.

“I see,” said Uther. He turned to Merlin. “You shall have to be more punctual in future.” Merlin nodded, and Uther turned to his son. “Arthur, try not to lose your temper,” he said. And with that he stalked away.

Once he was gone, Arthur grabbed Merlin by his collar and dragged him into his room.

“Arthur, I don’t understan-” he said, breaking off as Arthur threw him to the floor.

“You better not _still_ be trying to get out of this,” said Arthur. He slammed the door shut. Merlin got to his feet, slightly unsteadily.

“No,” he said. “I was just going to say that I don’t understand why you didn’t tell your father.”

Arthur ignored his question. He wasn’t sure of the answer himself. “What are you doing here?” he said.

“What, in your room?”

“No, you idiot, in Camelot!”

Merlin didn’t answer.

“Did you come here to- are you conspiring against me?”

“No!” said Merlin. “No, I’d never-”

“Then why did you come here?” said Arthur. Merlin was silent. “Answer me!”

“I just- Arthur, you’ve seen my home. I had to get away.”

“So you came _here_?” Merlin nodded. “To use magic? Here?”

“I can’t help it,” Merlin gabbled. “Arthur, I was born with it, I can’t help using it, it just-” he swallowed. “Arthur, I’ve been here for months. Don’t you think that if I wanted to, if I was going to-”

“Kill me?” said Arthur.

Merlin nodded, once, then spoke again very quietly. “I’ve been trying to protect you,” he said. “Arthur, I swear-”

“Oh, will you _shut up!_ ” Arthur shouted. But Merlin, as always, did not.

“Are you going to tell your father?” he said. “You are, aren’t you? Oh, God, you’re going to tell him, and he’s going to execute me,” he paused for a moment, breathing heavily.

“Merlin-” began Arthur. But then he was off again.

“Oh God, Arthur, please don’t tell him - he’ll - look, I’ll go,” he said. “I’ll leave. You don’t have to tell him. Arthur please-“ be broke off and took a few deep breaths. “Arthur, please. I don’t want to die.”

Arthur stood in silence, the marched over to the door and flung it open. “Get out,” he said.

“But-”

“Get out,” he repeated.

“Are you going to-”

“Get. Out,” Arthur said through gritted teeth. “Get out. I’ll send for you if I want to see you again.”

Merlin hurried to the door, and paused beside Arthur. “Are you going to tell him?” he said.

“I should,” said Arthur. Merlin stood and stared at him pleadingly. After a moment Arthur pushed him outside and slammed the door.

*

After that he didn’t see Merlin properly for a few days. He saw him around, helping Gaius, but they didn’t speak.

What had really thrown Arthur wasn’t that Merlin had lied to him, or even that he’d broken the law. It was than Arthur liked to have people sorted out and labeled in his head. He didn't like them to surprise him. That was what had always bothered him about Morgana. As soon as he’d managed to figure out what her label should say, and keep her still for long enough to attach it, she’d rip it off and do something completely unexpected.

Merlin, until recently, had been labeled (like many of the servants) ‘annoying, incompetent, and rather stupid’. He’d added ‘but likeable’ once he’d know him for a while.

But while Merlin may still be annoying, well... if he’d kept it hidden this long, he couldn’t be as stupid as he seemed. And now he thought about it, it had almost certainly been Merlin who’d raised the windstorm in Ealdor (and then lied about it), which would make him very competent indeed.

It took him three days, though, to connect Merlin’s soft ‘I’ve been trying to protect you’ with the light that had led him out of the caves. He’d never been sure if that had been magic. It wasn’t natural, certainly, but he was sure that the force behind it had been good. Which went completely against everything his father had told him about magic, over and over, for his whole life.

*

He summoned Merlin the morning after he realised that. He slipped into the room so quietly that Arthur almost didn’t notice him, looking as tired and miserable as Arthur felt.

“You wanted to see me?” he said.

“After you were poisoned,” he said. “That light, in the cave. Was it you?”

Merlin stared at him blankly. “I don’t know,” he said. “What kind of light was it?”  
“How can you not know?” snapped Arthur.

“I was delirious!” said Merlin. “G- I think I might have worked some magic. I’m not sure. It sounds like something I might do.”

Arthur walked across the room till he was standing just in front of Merlin.

“Do some magic,” he said.

“What?” said Merlin.

“You heard me. Go on. I want to see.”

“I don’t want to,” said Merlin. “You’ll just tell your father.”

“Merlin, do what you’re told,” said Arthur. “You’re still my servant.”

Merlin sighed, glanced around the room, then turned to look at the candlestick resting on the table. Arthur expected him to recite a spell, but he didn’t. He just stared, and the candlestick slid a foot further down the table.

The sound of metal on wood was accompanied by a flash of gold in his eyes. And for some reason, that was what really caught Arthur’s attention. “Do that again,” he ordered. Merlin obeyed, and this time Arthur looked at his face rather than the candlestick. There it was again. A brief flash of gold.

He stepped forward and reached out towards Merlin. He hesitated for a moment, then took his head in his hands.

“Again,” he said. He heard the candlestick move behind him, but his attention was held by the gold fire in Merlin’s eyes. “Your eyes-” he said. “Do it again,” he said, louder. Merlin’s eyes glowed gold. Arthur shifted forward to get a better look. “Your eyes,” he said. “They glow gold.”

“Apparently, yes,” said Merlin.

“Do it once more,” said Arthur. And as Merlin did so, he moved forward again. Now they were so close he could feel Merlin’s breath on his face. He felt him gasp. His eyes seemed to glow a little brighter. Arthur stared, entranced.

“It was you,” he murmured. “I know it was.” Not quite sure what he was doing, he leaned a little closer.

There was a sudden clatter behind him, and he turned sharply. The candlestick had fallen. As he watched it rolled off the table to the floor. He stared at it for a moment, then let go of Merlin’s head.

“Are you going to tell your father?” said Merlin.

“No,” said Arthur. “No. Just- for god’s sake, be careful.”

Merlin nodded, and turned to leave.

“Merlin,” Arthur called after him. “Where are you going?”

“Away?” said Merlin, turning to face him again.

“No, you’re not,” said Arthur. “You’ve got work to do.”

Merlin stared at him, then beamed. “Yes,” he said. “Right. I’ll just-“

He darted forward, lifted the candlestick, and set it back down on the table.

Arthur wasn’t sure exactly what Merlin was any more. But he thought maybe he liked it.


End file.
